You're the Reason
by KatieAmyPond
Summary: Tori and Cat get paired up for an assignment for Sikowitz. The assignment? Write a kissing scene between you and your partner, then perform it. The assignment awakens new feelings in Tori. Will she be brave enough to face them? Also, why is Cat acting so emotional (more than normal...for Cat)?
1. The Assignment

**Hi guys. I know I had another story, but I took it down because I wasn't feeling it. My muse for it was gone. Recently I started re-watching iCarly, Victorious and Sam and Cat. Before I knew it, I started shipping Cori (Cat/Tori), and then this happened. Will you guys tell me what you think?**

Tori Vega wasn't known for dancing around anything. Not that she was blunt, either. She said things in the nicest way possible. Tori knew how to be a great friend. Even Jade recognized that in her (not that she would admit it). Everyone at Hollywood Arts loved Tori. Especially one person in particular.

Cat Valentine walked into Sikowitz's class, feeling as bubbly and energetic as usual. Even the fact that it was Monday morning couldn't get her down. Only gravity was allowed to. And that was after Tori explained that wasn't a bad thing. Cat was more excited than usual when Sikowitz announced they were going to switch things up.

"Alright, coconuts, for our next lesson, we're gonna try something different, including who your partners are. It's totally out of your comfort zone and I love it!" Tori groaned. That never meant anything good. Jade smirked. "Something the matter, Vega?" Tori rolled her eyes as she turned around. "Just expressing my sympathies for the poor soul who gets paired with you."

Jade merely gave Tori her I'll-make-you-pee-in-your-pants glare. Tori huffed and faced Sikowitz. "So what're the pairs?" Sikowitz grinned. "The pairs! They are: Robbie and Andre, Sinjin and Jade, Rex and Andre, Trina and Beck, and finally, Tori and Cat!" Cat gave a happy squeal and hugged Tori spontaneously. "Yay! I love getting paired with Tori!" Cat's enthusiasm was infectious, and Tori found herself grinning along with her. "You're so sweet, Cat."

Sikowitz gave a maniacal smile. "I'm glad you're in a good mood, because here's your scene!" Tori raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" Sikowitz cleared his throat dramatically. "Your scene is….a kissing scene!" Tori blinked. "What? Some of us are paired with—''Jade interrupted Tori with a growl. "I am NOT kissing Sinjin! He's too nerdy…and he's Sinjin!" Andre spoke up with, "Why do I have to kiss Robbie? He's got Rex!"

"Hey! That's offensive!" Robbie protested. Rex gave his puppet laugh. "That's not the only offensive thing in this room!" Robbie groaned. "Rex!" Beck raised his voice to be heard. "I can't kiss Trina! Jade would kill us both!" Jade nodded. "No one is allowed to kiss my boyfriend but me!" Sikowitz blew a whistle and the class quieted.

"Despite your discomforts, this assignment MUST be completed! It is worth 50% of this semester's grade!" The whole class groaned at the high percentage. Tori's heart began to pound. 50% percent of her grade depended on her kissing Cat! At the thought, a warm feeling spread through her. Kissing Cat seemed really inviting…..wait, _what_? Tori mentally shook her head. Since when did kissing Cat make her feel tingly and excited? Tori knew deep down, though she didn't want to admit it, that nerves weren't totally to blame.

Tori shut her locker door with a sigh. Sikowitz's new assignment had been plaguing her with unease all day. _Why did I get all tingly earlier?_ Tor thought. Was it because she had to kiss a girl, or because she had to kiss Cat? Cat was her best friend, and Tori didn't want to ruin anything between them. She put her forehead against her locker, letting out a quiet groan.

"Hey Tori!" Cat's perky voice cut through Tori's thoughts, and she lifted her head to see Cat grinning broadly. Tori rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling a headache coming on. "Hey Cat…." She said quietly, nerves reappearing at Cat's arrival. Cat's smile dropped and she suddenly hugged Tori. Tori felt a thousand butterflies take flight in her stomach. She returned the hug, needing it badly. "What's the matter, Tor? I hate when you're sad." Tori sighed as they broke the hug.

"I'm nervous about Sikowitz's assignment." Cat's heart started to pound, and she pouted. "Do you not want to be partners with me?" Tori quickly shook her head. "No, it's not that, it's just…I don't know…" _It's just I have to kiss you, and the thought of that makes me feel something I've never felt before._ Cat tentatively took Tori's hand, making Tori look up.

"Do you wanna come home with me? We can just hang out so you can feel more comfortable about writing a scene later." Tori considered. _Hanging with Cat sounds fun, but what about those feelings? What if they come back? _At Tori's thoughtful look, Cat quickly let go of Tori's hand.

"It's okay if you don't want to, I just thought it would help—" Tori took Cat's hand in her own. "I'd love to Cat." She said, smiling. Cat squealed happily, jumping onto Tori in a bone-crushing hug. "Yay, I get to hang out with my best friend!" Cat's infectious happy mood made Tori grin and spin Cat around.

Cat giggled, making Tori laugh with her. "Want to walk home together?" Cat nodded. "Yeah!" Tori felt the butterflies come back. _What is with these butterflies? _"C'mon Cat, we can watch Lion King if you want." "Yay! Lion King!" As they left Hollywood Arts for the day, Tori's mind wandered back to the assignment for Sikowitz. _How am I gonna do this? Half of me wants to kiss Cat and she's my best friend!_

Tori looked up at Cat's house. "Cat, your house is huge!" Cat shrugged. "It's about the same size as yours, it just looks big." As they went inside, Tori looked around. Cat was right; it was the same size as hers. Tori looked at the pictures on the wall. She smiled at the pictures of little Cat. "You were adorable when you were a little kid." Cat blushed. "Thanks." Tori smiled while mentally raising an eyebrow. _Since when did Cat blush? _

Cat smiled as Tori looked at the pictures. It made her feel special. "You wanna see my room?" she asked, getting excited at the thought. "Sure," Tori laughed, seeing Cat's eyes light up with joy. Cat practically dragged Tori up the stairs in her excitement. As they entered Cat's room, Tori blinked. Everything seemed to be pink. Once she got used to it, Tori really liked Cat's room. Movie posters and Hollywood Arts banners along with letters spelling out C-A-T -V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E lined the walls. Cat had a picture frame on her desk, and on further inspection, Tori realized it was a picture of her and Cat. Cat was hugging her while Tori hugged back, smiling at the camera. Tori smiled at the picture.

"Cat, I didn't know you had this." Cat smiled shyly. "It's the only picture I have of just us. It's when we were hanging out at the beach." _And there go the butterflies, _Tori thought. _What is up with me? _ Cat tugged on Tori's arm. "Can we watch Lion King now?" Tori chuckled. "Sure." Cat grinned and quickly put the DVD in.

During the movie, Tori noticed Cat scooting closer to her, which lead to their current position of Cat snuggling against Tori. On a sudden impulse, Tori put her arm around Cat. Cat smiled, still intently watching the movie, and snuggled closer. Cat began to sniffle at Mufasa's death, and Tori rubbed comforting circles on her back.

After the movie ended, Cat turned to Tori. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Tori was taken aback. That was unexpected. "Uh, I don't know. They just happen." Cat seemed to think about it before jumping off the bed. "Ready to work on our scene for Sikowitz?" Tori was momentarily confused by Cat's sudden mood change but shook it off. "Yeah, I'm ready." _No, I'm not._ Tori felt that half excited, half nervous feeling flood her veins.

_Cat Valentine, why do you make me feel this way? And why?_ Tori and Cat settled down to start brainstorming ideas, neither one knowing just how much their lives were about to change.

**So yeah, this is what I have so far. Is it good? Bad? Weird? Probably is weird, but I'm a teenager. Leave a review? **


	2. Secrets

**Hey guys! I really enjoy writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it. I can't be the only one missing Victorious. **

Tori opened her front door to see Trina watching a scary movie. Resisting the urge to scare Trina, she headed upstairs into her bedroom. Brainstorming with Cat wasn't that bad. Then again, Tori sat there half the time watching Cat. Out of the corner of her eye, of course. Cat looked cute when she was thinking. _Okay, where did that come from? _"These thoughts are driving me crazy!" Tori groaned, burying her face in her pillow. She had to talk to someone.

_This is a bad idea. Of all people, I chose her. _Jade looked at Tori with a raised eyebrow. "You're coming to _me _for help? You must be desperate, Vega." Tori groaned. "Not help! Just to talk." Jade rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Now say whatever it is you want to say." Tori mentally prepared herself. "What does it feel like when you're with Beck? Alone?" Jade blinked. "What? You want to know about Beck and I?" Tori groaned again. _Yep, bad idea. _"Not exactly. I just….ugh…do you ever get these weird feelings? Like butterflies in your stomach and random thoughts you wouldn't normally think?"

Jade stared at Tori then started laughing. "Oh my God…..Vega's in love!" Tori face-palmed. "Jade! I'm not in love!" Jade shook her head. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation." _Neither can I, _Tori thought. "Tori, those feelings mean you really, really like someone. If they stay after a certain period of time, you're in love. Now excuse me, I have to find Beck."

Tori leaned against her locker and thought about what Jade had said. Was she falling for Cat? "Jade said if the feelings stay, it means you're in love." Tori figured she'd give it a week. Feelings or not, she still had to kiss Cat. _Why can't anything about this be easy? _

Cat pulled the picture of her and Tori out of her back pack and studied it for a moment. She remembered the moment when she realized she liked Tori more than a best friend. It was when Tori and her had their first fight. Cat hadn't understood why Tori was kissing Danny. But as Tori had explained herself and hugged her, Cat realized Tori made her feel something in a way Danny didn't.

Cat sighed, putting the picture back inside her bag. Truth be told, Sikowitz's assignment was making her just as nervous as Tori. At least she had an excuse to kiss Tori. The only problem was her feelings being exposed. Cat didn't want to lose Tori. "Oh Tori, if only you knew what you did to me..."

Cat and Tori decided to go to Tori's house to work on the assignment. Tori's parents were on a business trip and Trina was at some audition, so they were alone. "Cat, I—I had an idea for the scene." _Great, Tori. You're stuttering. Smooth move. _"Alright, let's hear it." Cat said, excitement starting to build up inside her. Tori gave a small smile. "What do you think of one character liking the other but is too afraid to act on their feelings, so they decide let the other one know through a song?"

Cat tilted her head in thought. Tori tried to ignore the tingles at the cuteness—_And there I go again…_Cat finally nodded. "I like that idea." Tori mentally sighed in relief. Little did she know just how real that would become.

Cat's phone buzzed and she pulled it out. When she read the message, she frowned. "Phooey." Tori frowned. "What's wrong Cat?" Cat sighed, putting her phone back in her pocket. "My parents are taking my brother back to the mental hospital for a check-up for the weekend, which means I'm home alone."

Cat's eyes looked sad, which Tori only saw a few times. "You hate being home alone." Cat nodded. "You can stay here over the weekend." _Tori, who knows what's going to happen?! What are you getting yourself into? _Cat's eyes lit up. "You mean it? You'll let me stay here?" Tori nodded, smiling. "Sure, it'll be fun! Besides, I'm home alone too. Apparently Trina got a ticket and has to spend the weekend in South LA." Cat squealed happily and tackle-hugged Tori.

"Yay! This is so awesome! A whole weekend with my best friend!" Tori laughed and sat up, still hugging Cat. "Something tells me you're excited." Cat giggled. Tori chuckled. "We still have to work on our assignment, it's due Monday." Maybe it was her imagination, but Tori thought she saw Cat tense for a moment. But then it was gone. "Kay kay!" Suddenly Cat frowned. "All my stuff is at my house."

Tori waved her hand dismissively. "We can go get it now." "We'd have to walk." Cat pointed out. Tori shrugged. "You don't live that far away." Cat jumped up. "Then let's go!" Tori shook her head fondly. _No wonder I've fallen for her. _

After Cat got her stuff and they went back, Tori found herself explaining the difference between cupcakes and cake. "Cat, cupcakes are just smaller cakes. It's a tinier version." Cat still looked confused. "But cakes aren't made in cups! So why are they called cupcakes if they're tiny cakes?" Tori blinked, mind going blank.

"…That's a good question. I guess the person who invented cupcakes thought it was cute." Cat shrugged. "Kay kay. So what should we do?" Tori sighed. "We kinda need to work on our scene." _I'm not crazy, Cat just tensed again. _"Cat are you okay? You just…froze." Cat nodded quickly. "Yeah, I thought I heard a bird so I was trying to listen for it." _That was a really bad excuse. If I'm not careful, Tori will get suspicious. _Tori blinked, and then shrugged. Cat mentally sighed in relief.

Tori knew something was going on with Cat, but decided to ask about it later. "So, what should call our characters?" Cat thought for a moment. "How about I'm Kasey and you're Jamie?" Tori nodded. "Okay, I like that. Should Jamie sing the song?" Cat nodded. "Kasey could be the one that thinks that her feelings are one-sided until Jamie sings the song." _Kinda like me, _Cat thought.

Tori smiled. "That's a good idea." The two spent the rest of the evening writing their scene, Tori deciding to work on the song later, preferably when Cat was asleep. It had only been half a week, but Tori figured the feelings wouldn't go away. _I'm in love with Cat. I could use Jamie's song to tell her_.

_Plus, with Cat being more…emotional lately, she's definitely hiding something. _Suddenly, an idea struck Tori. _What if Kasey is Cat's outlet for what she's hiding?_

**So, what did you think? Leave a review? :)**


	3. Sleepover Fun and Realizations

**Hey guys! Sorry about the wait, I was at the beach last week and the wi-fi there decided to stop working. Plus, I had to think of lyrics for Tori's song. By the way, the song goes along to the tune of Perfect Two. There's a Cori video on Youtube to that song, and I recommend watching it, it's really good. **

Once Cat was asleep, Tori snuck out of her room and went downstairs to work on the song. She wanted it to be special, not just for Jamie, but for Tori. _I guess both of us are using our characters as outlets_. Sighing, Tori opened her songbook and got to work.

_You're the reason I get up on a Monday,_

_You're the reason I can smile on a bad day._

_You're the reason I get butterflies in my stomach,_

_You're the reason I stopped crushing on Beck._

Tori shivered involuntarily, imagining Jade's expression at that last line. Her small crush on Beck may not have lasted long, but knowing Jade, she wouldn't let it go that easily. _At least Jade can't kill me now. Cat's the one I've fallen for. _Tori mentally shook her head. _Get back to work; you have a song to pour your heart into._

_You're the reason I sometimes act like a fool,_

_You're the reason I feel so cool._

_You're the reason I feel like Superman,_

_You're the reason I can say "Yes I can!" _

Tori smiled to herself. She was really feeling the song. "Man, I hope Cat...and Kasey, love this." Tori stayed up the rest of the night working on the song. She went back to sleep at five in the morning, trying to quell the nervous butterflies in her stomach. _Cat, you are on extraordinary girl if you can keep me up at night._

* * *

When Tori's alarm went off, Cat woke up to see Tori asleep on the floor. _Why is Tori on the floor? _She knelt down beside Tori. "TORI! Time to wake up!" Tori snapped awake. "Jeez, Cat! You scared me to death!" Cat looked away. "Sorry…your alarm went off though. Cat looked so forlorn, Tori felt bad for snapping. "I'm sorry I snapped at you Cat…you just startled me." Cat smiled shyly.

"By the way, why is your alarm set when it's Saturday?" Tori yawned. "I must have forgotten to turn it off." Cat shrugged. "Well, we're up now." Tori nodded. "You hungry?" Cat nodded enthusiastically. "Do you have candy?" Tori laughed. "Yep, I've got something special for you, too."

Cat began to bounce excitedly. "What is it, what is it, what is it?!" Smiling widely, Tori lead Cat to the kitchen. "Close your eyes, it's a surprise. And no peeking!" Cat closed her eyes, heart pounding. She felt Tori put a bag of candy in her hand.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now." Cat eagerly opened her eyes. When she saw what Tori had given her, she jumped up and tackle-hugged Tori. "Oh my God, you got me Bibble! You are the awesomest friend ever!" Tori laughed, returning the hug. "I still feel bad that you got banned from the store, so I decided to get you some. I'm also the one that leaves those secret stashes in your locker."

Cat smiled. "Tori, I don't know what to say. My bibble addiction isn't your fault; you didn't have to do this." Tori shrugged. "It's no biggie. Besides, the store can't say no to me." Cat fought the urge to kiss Tori right then and there. She tore open the bag and began to chow down.

Tori chuckled. "Oh, Cat." Cat just grinned as proceeded to run around doing her "Bibble Dance", as Tori called it. Laughing, Tori began to eat Lucky Charms straight from the box. _The weekend's going great so far. _"Hey, Cat? Once you come off your bibble high, we need to practice our script, minus the song!" Tori called. "Kay-kay!" Cat called back.

Cat came back into the living room. "Tori? Have you seen Mr. Purple?" Tori shook her head. "I thought he was with your stuff." Cat ran back upstairs to look around. "Found him! He was under your bed!" Tori chuckled as Cat came back downstairs with her stuffed giraffe. "You ready to practice our script?"

Cat felt chills throughout her body. "Yeah, sure." Cat sincerely hoped Tori wouldn't see her feelings in Kasey. Hiding them was hard enough. After spending some time reading their lines to themselves, Tori and Cat spent several hours practicing. Tori could see some of Cat's peculiar behavior coming into her character a bit, and Cat could tell Tori was acting strange as well.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Tori and Cat practiced their lines, played games and watched Disney movies. After watching the Little Mermaid, Tori turned to Cat. "Cat, why do you like Disney movies so much?" Cat sighed. "It's my version of stress relief, I guess. When I'm stressed, confused about a situation or I'm just feeling sad, I watch Disney movies. They're how I escape reality."

Tori nodded. "So Disney movies do for you what writing and singing songs does for me." Cat nodded, absentmindedly putting her head on Tori's shoulder. Tori leaned her head on Cat, thinking about what Cat said. _Confused about a situation…wonder if that has anything to do with what she's hiding. _

The more Tori thought about it, the more sense it made. _I still feel like I'm missing something…_Tori wondered what she could be missing. Her eyes fell to the script in Cat's lap, and that's when the penny dropped. _The kissing scene! No wonder Cat's been acting odd, this scene is affecting her! _

Tori knew Cat took acting seriously, so that made her recent behavior strange. The question was, what was causing it? When the two went to bed that night, Tori lay awake puzzling over Cat. In the back of her mind, she knew that wasn't really a surprise. As she drifted off to sleep, one last thought occurred to Tori. _What if the kissing scene is doing the same thing to her as it is to me? What if it's brought out hidden feelings? _

**So, how'd you guys like this chapter? Was it worth the wait? And who has heard Ariana Grande's new song, Break Free? I love that song! Anyway, leave a review? :D**


	4. Movies That Are More Than Movies

**Hi there, everyone! Here's a new chapter, but here's a quick notice: I had a lot of trouble writing this, so I really hope you like it. And I hope it tides you over until the new Sam and Cat episode.**

Sunday morning dawned with Cat excitedly waking up Tori at nine in the morning. "Cat, it's nine a.m., how are you this perky?" Tori groaned, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "I'm always happy, Tor!" Tori mentally slapped herself. That was a dumb question. "Right, so…you woke me up, is there something you want to do?"

Cat shrugged, sitting on the bed. "I already did what I wanted to do." Tori raised her eyebrows. "You wanted to wake me up before ten o'clock?" Cat nodded. "Yeah, I was bored." _I am not telling her how cute she looks when she sleeps and that I didn't really want to wake her up_.

Tori chuckled. "Cat, you brought about fifty movies and you're _bored_?" Cat jumped off the bed. "What's that supposed to mean?!" Tori quickly backtracked. "Nothing, I just meant….I meant that if you have movies to watch, why are you bored?" Cat looked down at the ground shyly.

"Movies are more fun if you have someone to watch them with. You're my best friend, Tor. Movies are just excuses to spend time with people who mean a lot to you." _If only you knew how much you meant to me_.

Tori smiled, blushing. _I mean a lot to Cat! The question is, in what way?_ "That's probably the sweetest thing I've ever heard." Grinning, both girls hugged. "So what movie do you wanna watch?" Cat shook her head. "I always pick, this time you're picking. And it can be a movie you own if you want."

Tori felt like a butterfly bomb exploded in her stomach. _Well this is gonna be interesting_. "How about the Princess Bride? It's my favorite." Cat grinned, and to Tori it seemed mischievous._ Is Cat acting mischievous?_ "As you wish." _Did Cat just—_

Cat laughed at Tori's expression. "Yep, I've seen it! I watched it with my brother. He told me it might come in handy someday." Tori cocked her head. "Come in handy how, exactly?" Cat suddenly looked shy. "Something about true love." She mumbled.

Tori seemed to freeze for a second. _Oh snap_. "Oh, um…okay. That's interesting." Cat shrugged, and Tori saw her cheeks were slightly red. _She's blushing again_. "So…do you wanna watch it now?" Cat smiled and nodded. "Yeah!" Tori smiled back, butterflies taking off once again.

* * *

After they finished the movie, Cat turned to Tori. "Should we do our final practice so we'll be ready tomorrow?" Swallowing thickly, Tori nodded. "Yes. But, I kinda don't want to sing the song to y—Kasey, until tomorrow.

_That was close; I nearly told Cat the song was for her_! "I'll practice it when you're asleep like I have been, it's just…you'll see why tomorrow." Tori felt nervous, what if Cat suspected something? To her relief, Cat nodded. "That's fine with me. Is it special?"

_You could say that, _Tori thought. "Y-yeah." Cat wondered what was going on. "Tor, are you okay? You're acting strange." _I really shouldn't be calling her out; I'm doing the same thing_. Tori tensed. _Crap, she knows something's up. _"I'm f-fine, it'll make more sense tomorrow." Cat sighed. "Okay. Ready? Tori nodded, and they started practicing their lines.

* * *

Several hours later, Cat and Tori found themselves making lunch. Cat decided to ask Tori a question that had been bothering her. "Hey Tori?" Tori looked up. "Yeah?" Cat mentally took a deep breath. "Why do you love the Princess Bride so much?" Tori sighed, laughing slightly. "I'm a hopeless romantic and a sucker for happy endings."

Cat's eyes widened. "Like me!"Tori nodded. "If I want something I can probably never have, I watch Princess Bride." Cat nodded. "It makes you feel better that someone could have a happy ending when you couldn't."

Tori smiled softly. "Yeah." _We know each other so well; no wonder it was easy to fall for her_. "Cat, can I tell you a secret?" Cat's heart began to race. "You can tell me anything." Tori took a deep breath. "Ever since I saw Princess Bride for the first time, I knew I wanted that same happy ending."

Cat looked into Tori's eyes. "Me too. It was my only goal since I was little." Both girls started thinking about their admissions to one another. They wondered how much longer they could hide their true feelings. Even hanging out and playing games the rest of the day didn't keep their thoughts from wandering.

Tori took a deep breath. _Tomorrow, I just have to wait until Sikowitz's class and then I can finally tell Cat the truth_. While playing hide-and-seek, Cat clutched her giraffe, thinking about her and Tori's scene. _Tori and I have been acting strange around each other ever since Sikowitz gave us this project. I really hope it's affecting her the way it's affecting me_.

Cat sighed. Tomorrow, they would perform their scene, Tori would sing her song and they would find out what the other was hiding. From her spot under Tori's bed, Cat waited with baited breath for Tori to find her.

"Found you!" Startled, Cat gave one of her signature squeaks and crawled out from under the bed. "Aw man, you found me and Mr. Purples!" Tori laughed. "Yes I did! You ready for dinner?" Cat nodded and raced downstairs.

Tori chuckled. "Oh Cat, you can act like your namesake so well." As she headed downstairs, Cat's enthusiastic yell of "PIZZA!" resonated throughout the house. Laughing, the two girls devoured the pizza and spent the rest of the evening talking.

As the two got ready for bed, Tori took out her songbook and studied the lyrics she came up with. Her song, _You're the Reason_, was almost complete. "All I have to do is show Cat that the song isn't just for Jamie and Kasey."

As Tori drifted off to sleep, she looked at Cat, who was already asleep, and smiled. _I hope tomorrow goes well_. Tori fell asleep with nervous excitement. "Cat, we're gonna rock tomorrow."

**Well, did I do alright? I hope I did. Leave a review and let me know!**


	5. The Moment Of Truth

**Hey guys! I swear I didn't forget this story! I just went to Pennsylvania for a month and had no WiFi. It bothered me because I didn't want you to think I abandoned this. So here's the next chapter! **

Monday morning dawned with Tori attempting to wake up Cat. "Cat, you have to wake up, we're gonna be late for school." Cat groaned, and Tori fought hard not to react. _That girl can make any noise sound cute_. "C'mon Cat, please? We have to do our scene today." Cat's eyes shot open.

"Oh…right, our scene." Tori swallowed, suddenly feeling awkward. "Is-is everything alright, Cat?" Cat quickly shook her head. "No, I'm fine." _I'm not fine, my dream is coming true later and I can't tell you because you'd never look at me the same I was kidding myself about you being nervous for the same reason as me_.

Tori gave a small sigh. "If you say so." _Something's wrong. Perky Cat is a no-show. _"You want some bibble for breakfast?" Cat grinned, solemn mood gone. "Can I?!" Tori was once again startled by the sudden mood change, but smiled. _How does she do that_? "Eat as much as you want, but don't make yourself sick, okay?"

"Kay-kay!" Cat ran for the stairs as Tori followed, worrying about Cat's brief but strange lack of Cat-ness when Tori woke her up. _Cat's really been acting odd, what if I shouldn't sing the song? I could totally ruin everything between us! _

As Cat began snacking on the bibble, she noticed that Tori seemed out of it. _What's up with Tori? Is she sick? _"Tori?" Tori blinked, coming to. "Huh? Oh, sorry Cat. I was just…thinking." Cat set aside her bibble.

"You're worried about the scene, aren't you?" Tori sighed. "Yeah, I am." Cat took a deep breath. "You'll do great. Besides, you have to sing your song." _And if you don't, I will spend the rest of my life wondering what it's about_. Tori smiled.

"Yeah, I do. C'mon, let's finish getting ready!" As Tori ran upstairs to get dressed, Cat looked down at her giraffe, which she had brought downstairs. "Tori's just as nervous as me about this, but there's no way it's for the same reason. So what's bothering her?"

After Tori and Cat were dressed and ready for school, they headed out. Both were rather quiet, thinking of the other's actions. Neither of them could understand what was going on, or they didn't want to.

As Hollywood Arts loomed into view, Tori smiled. No matter what happened in Sikowitz's class later, the sight of her second home made Tori feel calmer. Even Cat had relaxed. "Tori?" Tori shut her locker door. "Yes?" Cat smiled, one of her perky, more Cat-like smiles. "Can't wait to hear the song!" And she skipped off.

Tori chuckled. "You'll love it Cat," she whispered to herself. "It doesn't even apply to our characters after the third line." The walk to Sikowitz's class seemed shorter to Tori. _ I guess the fact that I'm about to admit I'm head over heels for my best friend can do that,_ Tori mused as she walked through the door.

Tori set her stuff down and sat next to Cat, who seemed nervous once again. _She's got the emotional range of a confused puppy, _Tori thought. _It's still cute though. _Tori couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face, which prompted Cat to raise her eyebrows questioningly.

"Later Cat," Tori said as Sikowitz walked in, rambling about some raccoon stealing one of his precious coconuts. Tori happened to catch Jade's eye, and the Goth girl gave her a nod. She knew what Tori was planning. Tori swallowed, wondering what Jade was thinking. Jade suddenly gave Tori the smallest of smiles, so brief, Tori wondered if she imagined it.

Jade merely nodded in Cat's direction and looked at Sikowitz, who was about to begin. Tori caught her breath. _Jade approves, _she realized. That was something Tori never thought Jade would give her.

Sikowitz cleared his throat. "Alright coconuts, who's ready to show their wonderful scenes?" Andre suddenly bolted out of the room, muttering about feeling sick. Robbie shifted in his seat. Rex gave his puppet's chuckle, and Robbie put his hand over Rex's mouth.

Tori felt bad for Robbie but didn't say anything. Cat nudged her elbow and gestured to the mini stage. Tori swallowed, shifting nervously. A small pressure in her hand told her Cat was holding her hand. _Oh chiz, here we go, _Tori thought as a thousand butterflies seemed to take flight in her stomach.

Cat and Tori stood up, Cat letting go of Tori's hand. "We'll go first." Tori stated, missing the small comfort. "Make me proud, you two." Tori just nodded, getting into character as Jamie. _Please let this go well; prepare for the song_.

"Action!" Sikowitz shouted. Cat shifted her feet and turned around to face Tori. There was a spark in her eye of anger. _Dang, Cat. If I didn't know this was acting, you'd be scaring the chiz out of me_. "Give me one good reason why I should stay, Jamie! I gave you hint after hint, and you never realized! I kept thinking you felt the same, but I never truly knew! Why can't you ever say what you mean?!" Tori sighed and looked away. "I was too afraid, Kasey! But I realized something." Cat growled. "What?"

Tori looked into Cat's eyes. "I can't say what I mean." Cat shook her head and walked toward the door, but stopped at Tori's next words. "But I can sing it." Cat felt her heart begin to pound harder.

Tori took a deep breath and began to sing.

"_You're the reason I get up on a Monday,_

_You're the reason I can smile on a bad day."_

Cat started to walk away from the door, mesmerized and shocked by the song. "Jamie?" Tori only smiled and kept singing.

"_You're the reason I get butterflies in my stomach,_

_You're the reason I stopped crushing on Beck."_

Cat stopped, breathing faster. "Beck?" She asked quietly. Jade had sat up straighter, eyes glancing between Beck, Tori and Cat. "This isn't about Jamie and Kasey anymore, is it?" Tori shook her head. "It never was." Cat exhaled slowly. "Finish the song." Even Sikowitz hadn't interrupted them for breaking character; he wanted to know what was going on.

"_You're the reason I sometimes act like a fool,_

_You're the reason I feel so cool._"

Cat was now in front of Tori, eyes shining. Tori took Cat's hand in her own and looked into her eyes.

_"__You're the reason I feel like Superman,_

_You're the reason I can say "Yes I can!" _

As Tori finished the song, she wiped a tear that had fallen on Cat's cheek. "I love you, Cat. Beck was just a crush. I've been head over heels for you for a long time now." Cat smiled, tears falling freely now. "Oh Tori…how did I not see it before? You were acting like me!"

Tori just hugged her, smiling widely. "Why do you think Jamie and Kasey turned out the way they did?" Cat looked up. "Because they were too afraid to do this," she said softly, and kissed Tori.

Tori kissed her back, feeling as if her heart had taken flight. As they pulled apart to breath, Tori said, "That's a good reason for you to stay, right?" Cat laughed and hugged Tori again.

Sikowitz came forward. "Impressive. Your scene was about the two of you all along. You meant to break character." Tori gave a nervous smile. "Yes." Jade came forward and looked at Tori. "Good job, Vega. And just so you know, there are no longer any hard feelings concerning Beck." "Finally!" Beck mouthed.

Jade turned to Cat. "You finally have the girl of your dreams, Cat. Enjoy it." Jade looked at Beck. He chuckled. "I didn't even have to tell you to do that." Jade glared, but a hint of a smile was on her face.

Tori looked at Cat. "You think Jade and Sinjin's scene will turn out as good as ours?" Cat burst into a fit of giggles. Unable to resist, Tori joined in and held Cat's hand for the rest of the class.

**Well, did I do it justice? Tell me what you thought!**


End file.
